


All Is Bright

by allonsy_gabriel



Series: Another 51 [45]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: But Mostly Comfort, Candlenights, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Dinner, Family Fluff, Fantasy Die Hard, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Happy, Holidays, Kravitz has So Many Feelings, Love, M/M, One Big Happy Family, Post-Episode: e067-069 Story and Song Parts 1-3, Pyjamas, Sweet, Team as Family, Traditions, Weird holiday traditions, Wooden Ducks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 10:54:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21968167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allonsy_gabriel/pseuds/allonsy_gabriel
Summary: Taako laughed, just a little, and rolled off of Kravitz and onto his own (mostly decorative, at this point) pillow. His hand found Kravitz’s under the blankets. “Not necessary, Ghost Rider,” he said, leaning over and kissing Kravitz’s cheek. “Wanna help me make some breakfast? Gods know I’m gonna need some food to get me through today.”It was the first night of Candlenights, and later in the day they would loading up with gifts and games and snacks and traveling to Magnus’ house for the apparently Traditional IPRE Candlenights Get-Together.(Kravitz had asked if it was actually ‘traditional’ or just their tradition, and Taako had smiled and said, “What’s the difference?”)Can Be Read Alone
Relationships: Angus McDonald & Taako, Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone), Taako (The Adventure Zone) & Everyone
Series: Another 51 [45]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1414117
Comments: 23
Kudos: 126





	All Is Bright

**Author's Note:**

> hello hello and happy candlenights!!!
> 
> just as a preface/disclaimer: everything that happens here, the entirety of the Traditional IPRE Candlenights Get-Together, is based off of my actual real-life family Christmas traditions, so... that's that I guess?
> 
> please enjoy!

Kravitz awoke with a snoring, drooling elf sprawled out on top of him.

This wasn’t…  _ new _ , perse. This had been the regular course of events since The Day of Story and Song had happened about eight months ago.

Kravitz still couldn’t help the tired grin that spread across his face.

Taako was an inelegant sleeper. It had shocked Kravitz at first, how someone who seemed so, uh…

Poised? Graceful? Put together?

Actually, when Kravitz  _ really _ thought about it, he supposed it  _ did _ make sense.

Taako, who was so self-conscious, who tried so hard to always put his best face forward, who was so wrapped up in the way people saw him, was actually a  _ mess _ .

It made sense then, Kravitz thought, that when he slept, when he was perfectly relaxed and perfectly at ease, all the layers of glamour and glitz would fall away.

_ Gods _ did Kravitz love him.

He smiled again, his fingers carding through the elf’s long, red hair as he thought.

A few minutes later, Taako seemed to start to wake up, nuzzling his face into the fabric of the sweater Kravitz wore to bed (he was cold, apparently, and Taako had complained that it was like snuggling with an ice cube, and thus, a whole hoard of thick wool sweaters and fuzzy fleece pants and soft flannel sleep sets had appeared in Kravitz’s dresser). Taako’s arms tightened where they were wrapped around Kravitz’s torso, and he mumbled something unintelligible into Kravitz’s shoulder.

“Morning, love,” Kravitz said softly, placing a kiss to Taako’s brow.

Some part of him, a part that actually sounded a lot like the elf currently using him as a body pillow, pointed out that he had dragged thousands of souls to the Eternal Stockade, and that those souls would probably get a kick out of their warden cuddling up with someone who had committed  _ dozens of death crimes _ .

“Shhhh,” Taako grumbled, burying his face further into Kravitz’s shoulder. “‘M sleep.”

“Is that so?” Kravitz asked.

“Mhmm. Quiet.”

Kravitz chuckled but said nothing else, content to simply lie there under Taako’s warmth, feeling the softness of the elf’s silk and lace nightgown against his hands.

It’d been a long time, before Taako.

Kravitz hadn’t—he hadn’t even been  _ corporeal _ all that often before, and he never—there was never—it was—

Lonely.

It had been  _ lonely _ .

He’d had his Queen, of course, but for all Taako and Lup joked about the Raven Queen being his mom, she was…

Okay, she was  _ sort of _ his mom, but she was mostly his employer  _ and the Goddess of Death _ so that relationship wasn’t the most…  _ affectionate _ .

“Nevermind,” Taako grumbled, huffing a little as he rolled over just slightly, his face tilted just towards Kravitz. “I can  _ feel _ you being sappy and gross and it’s keeping me up.”

His hair was splayed across both the pillow and Kravitz, the dark red curls tangled and frizzy. His face was a mess of freckles and a few scars, his nose was bent from where it had broken on some wild adventure, and his teeth were just a bit crooked.

He was  _ gorgeous _ .

“So sorry, dear,” Kravitz said, smiling down at him. “Next time I’ll try and love you quieter.”

Taako laughed, just a little, and rolled off of Kravitz and onto his own (mostly decorative, at this point) pillow. His hand found Kravitz’s under the blankets. “Not necessary, Ghost Rider,” he said, leaning over and kissing Kravitz’s cheek. “Wanna help me make some breakfast? Gods know I’m gonna need some food to get me through today.”

It was the first night of Candlenights, and later in the day they would loading up with gifts and games and snacks and traveling to Magnus’ house for the  _ apparently _ Traditional IPRE Candlenights Get-Together.

(Kravitz had asked if it was  _ actually _ ‘traditional’ or just  _ their tradition _ , and Taako had smiled and said, “What’s the difference?”)

“If by  _ help  _ you mean  _ make coffee and get out ingredients when you need them _ , then sure,” Kravitz said.

“Obviously, babe,” Taako said. “Last time you actually cooked, you burnt my favourite frying pan but the chicken was  _ still raw _ .”

“What can I say?” Kravitz asked. “It’s a talent.”

Taako stared at him for a moment. “Y’know, it’s probably a good thing you’re, like, mostly dead, because otherwise you  _ defo _ would’ve accidentally poisoned yourself by now,” he said, and a minute later he was swinging his legs over the side of the bed and stretching his arms above his head. “C’mon, Skeletor. Let’s hope you don’t burn down the house while passing me eggs.”

The morning light poured in from the window behind him, blanketing him in soft golden light, shining around his edges like a halo.

It took Kravitz a moment to remember how to function, and then he dutifully followed Taako into the kitchen.

**

He didn’t burn down the house. In fact, he didn’t burn down anything. There weren’t even any close calls, a fact Taako commented on as they sat at their kitchen table and dug into the strawberry, banana, and chocolate crepes Taako had made.

Taako took another sip of his coffee and smiled (he took his coffee black, with just a bit of sugar. Said he liked it like he liked his men—hot, dark, and just a bit sweet; it never failed to make Kravitz blush). “So, you’re, uh, providing the transportation later, right? We don’t need to call a cab or anything?” he asked.

“I mean, that was the plan,” Kravitz said.

“ _ Dope _ ,” Taako replied with a smile. “That means we don’t have to plan for, like, travel time or anything, which is great because I need to put the finishing touches on everyone’s gifts.”

“I might have to pop over to work for a bit later, just to make sure everything’s running smoothly. Better to get it done now than to get called in while we’re, uh, doing whatever it is we’ll be doing tonight.”

Taako hadn’t  _ actually _ told him what happened at the Traditional IPRE Candlenights Get-Together (or TICGT, for short). Whenever Kravitz asked, he just smiled and said, “You’ll see.—it’s _ great _ .”

“Sounds good, kemosabe,” Taako said. “Would you mind picking up Ango on your way home? I told Magnus we’d scoop him up before we headed over.”

“Of course,” Kravitz said, doing his best to hide his grin.

Apparently, he didn’t do quite as a good a job as he’d hoped because Taako threw a piece of strawberry at his face and huffed.

“Look, we—everyone misses the kid, alright? Little shit decides to go to Lucas’ stupid school and fucking  _ disappears _ . No one’s seen him since August,” he said.

“You went to his soccer game two weeks ago with Lup and Barry.”

“I’m giving the people what they want, Krav.”

“Sure, Taako,” Kravitz replied, hiding his smirk behind his own coffee cup. “That’s why you want him here early, right? Because it’s  _ what the people want _ ? Definitely not because  _ you _ miss him and want to spend time with him before everyone else.”

“Shut the fuck up, I hate you.”

“Obviously.”

“ _ Obviously _ .”

Kravitz laughed as Taako pouted. “Look, don’t you have, like, souls to collect or death crimes to punish or something? Something to do besides  _ bullying me in our own home on Candlenights _ ?”

“I think bullying you counts as punishing someone for death crimes.”

“I think you’re the worst.”

Taako was smiling, now, and seemed to be having a hard time not laughing at his own ridiculousness.

“I’ll see you later, darling,” Kravitz said, standing up and waving his hand to change into his reaper form.

“Wait!’ Taako said. “Before you get boned—”

“You know, I really wish you wouldn’t call it that—”

“Kiss me, dipshit,” Taako said, standing up and putting his hands on his hips. “Before you no longer have lips and you start speaking in that stupid fucking accent.”

“What, you don’t like the accent?” Kravitz asked, in the accent.

“It’s ridiculous. I can’t take you seriously when you sound like fucking fantasy-Eliza Doolittle,” Taako murmured, wrapping his arms around Kravitz’s neck and smiling up at him.

Kravitz rolled his eyes, wrapped his arms around Taako’s waist, and kissed him.

_ Dear Queen _ , he’d never get tired of kissing him.

“Kick ass, babe,” Taako said when they finally broke apart. Kravitz took a step back, summoned his scythe, and ripped it through the air.

As he was stepping through the rift he heard Taako shouting after him, “And don’t forget the kid!”

**

“Okay, dinguses, let’s run through the list one more time,” Taako said, standing in front of Kravitz and looking like a man about to go to war.

Angus was standing at Kravitz’s side, holding his notebook in one hand and a pen in the other. He dutifully passed them both to Taako, who looked over the notebook and nodded.

“Alright. Spicy pretzels?”

Angus pointed at a fantasy-Ziploc bag on the coffee table. “Check!”

“Cookies?”

“Check!”

“Cards Against Faerun?”

“Check!”

Kravitz looked at the game, which was placed neatly in a tote bag along with a few packages. “Are you sure we should bring this if Angus is coming?” he asked. “That game is sort of…  _ adult _ .”

“The kid’s heard worse, right?” Taako asked, looking at Angus.

“Sir, I  _ am _ a detective, and I  _ do _ spend lots of time with you and Magnus and Merle. I think I’ve heard  _ and seen _ worse than a few naughty words in a card game,” Angus replied. “Besides, I’m twelve now.”

“See? Kid’s fine.  _ He’s twelve now _ .”

“If you say so,” Kravitz sighed.

“Going on!” Taako said. “Stuff for dinner?”

“Check!”

“Super-secret gift exchange present?”

“Check!”

“Other presents?”

“Check!”

“Sleepover bags?”

“Check!” Angus said, just as Kravitz said, “Uh…”

“Krav,” Taako said, staring at him.

“I might have forgotten to pack a sleepover bag,” Kravitz muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Figured,” Taako said. “That’s why  _ I _ packed your stuff with mine. You’re welcome.”

“You’re a lifesaver—”

“Literally!” Angus added.

“Literally,” Taako agreed. “Also, fuck you for making me be responsible like that.”

And, to Kravitz’s absolute  _ horror _ , he opened his mouth and said, “Later, love,” before he even had time to think about it.

Angus gagged.

Taako blushed.

Kravitz considered praying to the Raven Queen to actually,  _ really _ kill him.

“ _ Hatchi matchi _ ,” Taako murmured. “Okay, okay, moving on, fantasy-Jesus Christ.”

“Yeah. Let’s,” Kravitz agreed, sounding sort of like a strangled cat.

Angus still looked like he’d just been confronted with his worst nightmare.

“I thought you were used to this, kid,” Taako said, ignoring his own insistence that they were  _ moving on _ .

“Usually the sex jokes don’t involve  _ the specific people I’m spending time with and look up to _ ,” Angus whispered. There was a moment of silence. “Okay. I’m good. Let’s talk about something else now. Please.”

“That’s the whole list!” Taako said, clearing his throat. “We’re ready to go! Let’s get this show on the road.”

Kravitz pulled out his scythe and swung it through the air, opening a rift that led straight into Magnus’ living room.

Taako grinned and picked up a few of the bags. “Alright, people!” he said, “I’m here, the party can  _ officially  _ begin!”

Magnus was already sitting on the couch, carefully carving what appeared to be a wooden duck wearing a Santa hat.

“Oh!” he said, hopping to his feet. “You guys—I guess I was expecting you guys to come in the front door.”

“What, and go outside like shlubs? I dunno about you, hombre, but  _ I _ helped save the universe so I get to skip that shit,” Taako said, a wide grin splitting his face.

Magnus smiled back at him and opened up his arms. “It’s good to see you, man,” he said.

Taako accepted the affection with as much grace as he always did—uncomfortably and a bit begrudgingly.

“Magnus! Magnus, sir, it’s been such a long time!” Angus said, jumping through the portal and practically on top of Magnus.

“Hey, kiddo!” Magnus said, scooping Angus up into his arms and spinning him around.

Kravitz smiled as he hauled a few of their bags through the rift.

“Oh, shit, Krav, lemme help you out there,” Magnus said, gently placing Angus down on the ground. He grabbed the bags from Kravitz’s arms and rushed to place them next to the couch before grabbing the rest of them and carrying them over, too.

Magnus was, as Taako put it, 100% of pure Faerun beef.

"You two are going to be in the front guest room. It's just down the hall—"

"Krav, baby, would you go check that out while I go to the kitchen and assess the damage?" Taako asked, slinging a bag of food over his shoulder.

"Of course, love," Kravitz replied, pulling the elf closer by the strap of the bag and kissing him soundly.

"What was that for?"

"Just because I love you."

Taako gagged and turned to head into the kitchen as Kravitz followed Magnus back to their room. They had just sat the sleepover bags down when Kravitz heard Taako's whistle from down the hall followed by the elf shouting, “That’s a lot of damage!”

Magnus looked sheepish from where he was standing over the probably hand-crafted bed. “I, uh,” he said, “I don’t really… cook. Taako and Lup always handled it on the Starblaster, and then Steven cooked, and then the B.o.B. had a cafeteria and we were out adventuring a lot of the time, so I—I never learned, and then… well, the kitchen—”

_ “Why is there wood stain in the oven?!” _

“Uh—”

_ “And a saw in the cupboard?!” _

“I ran out of room in the shop!” Magnus yelled back.

“How the fuck am I supposed to cook in a kitchen fool of—full of tools and shit?” Kravitz heard Taako yell, his footsteps get louder and closer and stomp-ier as he went.

“I dunno, thought you’d be used to  _ tools and shit _ by now—”

“Fuck you, Burnsides!”

“I’ll pass, but I bet Krav won’t!”

“Actually, sirs, I’m having second thoughts about this and I think maybe Mr. Kravitz should just take me back to the school—” Angus shouted from down the hall.

“Nope!” Taako yelled back. “You’re stuck here now, D’Jangus. It’s Candlenights and we’re all in misery!”

Kravitz was actually afraid he was about to have to step in and stop a fight or protect the innocence of a child or something when there was another distinct ripping sound, and a loud voice called out, saying, “Shit, Barry, did we get the wrong place?”

“Lulu!” Kravitz heard Taako shout, and a moment later there was a loud  _ thud _ .

Magnus glanced over at Kravitz and sighed. “If you idiots break my custom, hand-crafted coffee table, I’ll kick both of your asses!” he yelled.

“Is this how Candlenights usually goes for you guys?” Kravitz couldn’t help but ask.

“More or less,” Magnus replied with a shrug. “Usually by now, Merle is blitzed out on nog and Dav is singing shitty Gnomish Candlenights carols.”

Kravitz snorted. “Charming.”

“Look, buddy, you’re the one who decided to marry into this family,” Magnus said, clapping Kravitz on the back.

Kravitz blushed.

They weren’t—they weren’t married, but... 

They had talked about it.

Or, well.

They had talked about talking about it, which Kravitz, as someone who almost fluently spoke Taako's language of flippancy and nonchalance and emotional distance, understood meant they had all but printed out  _ save the date  _ cards.

"Well, I was told you all were sort of a package deal," he said, carefully unpacking the bag Taako had prepared.

"Hell yeah, man," Magnus agreed. "We, uh—Well, I can't speak for the others, and I'm actually pretty sure Merle still hates you, but  _ I'm  _ happy you and Taako have found each other. You make him happy, Krav, and he—he deserves to be happy, after everything."

"Yes," Kravitz murmured, staring at the blue chiffon blouse in his hands, covered with glittering gold stars. "Yes, he does."

**

"Hey, chucklefucks! Soup's on!" Taako shouted from the kitchen, and Kravitz watched in an odd mix of horror and awe as the saviors of the universe nearly slaughtered each other in an attempt to reach the kitchen.

Angus stood beside Kravitz, blinking at the scene in front of him. "I don't know if I'm fascinated or concerned," he whispered.

"Probably a healthy mixture of both."

"Yeah, probably," Angus agreed. "You know, sir, I think we should probably go and, uh, see if there's going to be anything left for us for dinner."

"You know what, Angus? I think you're absolutely right."

_ Apparently _ , they were having  _ beef bourguignon _ , and  _ apparently,  _ Taako and Lup's beef bourguignon was worth trying to murder your family over.

It certainly looked delicious, steak and mushrooms and carrots all floating in a bubbling brown broth in a cast iron pot, another pot full of fluffy white potatoes sitting by its side.

Kravitz noticed the fine layer of panic in Taako's eyes.

"It looks wonderful, dear," he murmured as he wrapped his arms around Taako's waist.

The elf bit his lip. "Would you mind tasting it?" he asked. "I mean—I mean before the others? I know it's stupid, I just—"

"Of course, darling," Kravitz muttered, kissing Taako's forehead. He quickly grabbed one of the spoons on the counter and dipped it into the stew.

It tasted even better than it looked, and Kravitz grinned down at Taako.

"Absolutely, 100% poison-free," he confirmed, and watched as an almost visible weight slid off of Taako's shoulders.

He also saw Lup, standing behind her brother, a ladle in her hand and a poorly concealed look of concern on her face.

He squeezed Taako tighter, just for a moment, before letting him go.

"Alright then, people, you heard him! Everyone grab a bowl, let's eat!" Taako shouted, grinning as he loaded up every person's bowl first with a massive helping of potatoes and then with an equally gigantic serving of broth.

They all sat down at Magnus' (again, hand made) dining table, each person seeming to know exactly where to sit without any of them discussing it before hand. Davenport sat at the head of the table, with Barry to his left and Lucretia to his right. Lup sat next to Barry, and Taako sat beside her. Magnus sat across from Taako, leaving Merle jammed between him and Lucretia.

Angus took the seat beside Magnus, leaving an open spot for Kravitz beside Taako, who smiled and patted the seat.

“Sit down and stay awhile, Bird Boy,” he said with a toothy grin. “I think Barold is starting.”

“Dealing?” Kravitz asked, setting his bowl down on the table and neatly placing his napkin in his lap.

“Cards Against Faerun,” Taako said. “We always play during dinner on Candlenights.”

“Are—didn’t you guys come from a completely different world?”

“Uh, yeah, what about it?”

“How did you guys have  _ Cards Against Faerun _ —”

“Look, babe, shit’s complicated. Don’t—don’t go and make it any harder to explain, please. It’s hard enough to keep track as is,” Taako said. “Barold! You’re starting, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m—I’m going, calm down,” Barry said. “Lemme just—jeez, who the fuck shuffled these last? They’re practically bent in fucking half.”

The whole table turned to glare at Magnus, who slowly looked up from his dinner.

“Look, fuck you guys, okay? They’re—they’re cardboard! They bend!”

There was a collective eye roll around the table as Barry began to deal.

“Alright, alright, let’s see,” he muttered, pulling a black card from the pile. “Oh. Oh, shit.”

“What? What is it?” Merle asked.

“ _ During sex, I like to think about… _ ”

“Are we really sure Angus should be playing this?” Davenport asked.

Lup and Taako shrugged and said, “He’s twelve,” at the same time.

(Lup won that round with  _ being a motherfucking sorcerer _ .)

**

“Presents! Presents, it’s time for super-secret gift exchange presents!” Magnus shouted as he hearded all of them into the living room.

“Uh, Taako, sir?” Angus asked, tugging on Taako’s sleeve. “Taako, I didn’t know we were doing a super-secret gift exchange, I don’t—I didn’t buy a special present.”

“No sweat, bubbeleh,” Taako said. “I got you covered.”

And sure enough, he did. Sitting underneath Magnus’ Candlenights bush, wrapped in certified  _ Taako _ _ TM _ wrapping paper, were two presents, one addressed to  _ Agnes, the World’s Boy-est Boy Detective _ and one addressed to  _ Bone Daddy _ , each signed in completely over-the-top looping script.

“Taako, darling, you didn’t—”

“Yeah, I absolutely did. Now sit down, shut up, and wait your turn to open,” Taako said, but his harsh words were undercut by the fond glint in his eyes.

Kravitz took his gift and sat at the edge of Magnus’ couch, watching as everyone else collected their specified package as well.

“Okay, you all know how it goes, little ones first,” Davenport said, gesturing to Angus.

“Really, sir?” Angus asked.

“I know Magnus and Taako  _ act _ like children, but I assure you that you are, in fact, younger than them,” Davenport said, and Angus smiled before carefully tearing away the wrapping paper on his present to reveal a set of soft-looking blue and cream tartan pyjamas.

“Oh!” he said, holding them up in front of his face. “These are—these are wonderful, sir! Thank you so much!”

Taako grinned and reached over to ruffle the kid’s hair. “Don’t mention it, boychik. Can’t do Candlenights without Candlenights pyjamas. Now then, Luce—”

“Actually, I think Magnus and Barry are both younger than me, now,” Lucretia said, glancing around the group. “I—I mean, Davenport  _ did _ say physical age, and I—well. I think I may have surpassed the two of you in that regard.”

There was a beat of silence, and then—

“ _ Fuck _ ,” Magnus muttered, looking down at his hands. “That’s fucking—that’s weird.”

“Did I ever say that I hate those assholes?” Lup asked. “Because  _ holy fuck  _ I hate those assholes.”

“I’m… confused,” Kravitz said, leaning over to whisper in Taako’s ear.

“There were some asshole liches in Wonderland who stole, like, twenty years from Luce’s life. When we left our home planet, she was the youngest member of the crew,” Taako explained.

Kravitz blinked a few times. “Really?”

“Yeah, she was, like, nineteen or some shit.”

“Okay, then,” Davenport said, clapping his hands together. “Magnus, I suppose you’re up.”

Magnus grinned and ripped into his gift with such ferocity that Kravitz couldn’t help but empathise with the poor wrapping paper. He remembered what it was like to be on the receiving end of Magnus’ destructive tendencies.

His pyjamas (and Kravitz was beginning to pick up on a theme, here) included a fuzzy, brown onesie that, when unfolded, was revealed to include a hood with a bear face on it.

“Holy shit,” he muttered, staring over the absolute  _ monstrosity _ in his hands. “This is  _ incredible _ ! Thanks, Lup!”

“No sweat, dude. I’m glad you like it,” Lup replied, an easy smile on her face.

It was impossible for Kravitz to look at her and  _ not _ see the similarities between her and Taako, from the physical resemblance to the way both held themselves with such an air of confidence, the matching, mischievous smirks that played across each of their lips.

But there were differences, too, and stark ones at that.

Lup was…

_ Nice _ .

Nice, in a way Taako rarely ever was. She smiled more, was more affectionate, seemed more open and settled, comfortable in a way Taako simply  _ wasn’t _ .

Kravitz couldn’t help but wonder how much that could be chalked up to just  _ Lup _ , and how much of that was evidence of what a decade alone had done to Taako.

“I guess Barold’s going next, then?” Merle asked, taking a drink of what appeared to be that  _ nog _ Magnus had been talking about earlier.

Barry’s present consisted of another plain white t-shirt, a pair of blue sweatpants, and a fluffy red robe that drew laughter from everyone in the room, given to him by Davenport.

Lucretia received a long, white, silk nightgown with lace trim from Merle.

Davenport opened up a set of galaxy-printed flannel pyjamas from Taako, and then… 

“Look,  _ you _ wanted to be the older twin. I offered, I tried, but  _ no _ , you wanted to be the oldest and now you have to  _ fucking deal with it _ . Haha fucking  _ ha _ ,” Taako said, ducking as Lup through a small fireball at him.

“I’m  _ always  _ the older twin—”

“Yeah, bitch,  _ that’s how age works _ —”

“Every year,” Kravitz heard Merle mutter. “Ever Pan-damned year.”

“Wait, sir, do you guys really not know who’s older?” Angus asked, his head tilted to the side.

“Nope,” Taako said. “We’ve been going off of guesswork and gut feelings for, oh, 240-something years.”

“That seems sort of…”

“Ridiculous, kid, trust me, we know,” Merle said.

“Point is, I get to go first,” Taako insisted, sliding the ribbon off of his package.

“What about Krav?” Magnus asked. “We might’ve skipped him on accident—”

“You haven’t,” Kravitz interrupted. “At least, I don’t think so. How old did you say you are, dearest?”

Taako blinked. “Uh, 242? Roughly? Counting the century where we were playing musical chairs with the universe?”

“Oh, no no no. We’re fine. I think I’ll be last, actually.”

Everyone turned and stared at him.

“Krav, baby,” Taako said slowly. “Merle is, like, 250, previously mentioned musical chairs not included. You sure about that?”

Kravitz paused. “Um… yes? I mean, it all sort of blurs together, but I’ve been, well,  _ dead _ for at least, oh, 400—500?—years, plus however long I lived before that, so…”

“Fantasy-Jesus  _ Christ _ ,” Barry murmured. “Death’s a cradle-robber.”

“Babe, I’m literally 200 years older than you.”

“So I guess that means the grim reaper is going last,” Merle said. “Good to know. Taako, open your damn present.”

It was from Lucretia, and Kravitz could see the hesitation in Taako’s eyes as he turned it over in his hands.

The two of them were…  _ better _ , now. Not good, nowhere  _ near  _ as close as they were on the Starblaster, or even back before Taako remembered, but at least now Taako could stand to be in the same room as her for longer than 90 seconds.

He slowly opened the gift, and Kravitz could hear as he breath caught in his throat.

It was a robe, long and red, made of heavy silk and decorated with thousands of shining, gold stars.

“It’s enchanted,” Lucretia said quietly. “It should ward against night terrors for roughly eight hours once activated, and it can be used daily. I know it’s not the most advanced or impressive magic, but—”

“Luce,” Taako interrupted softly. “It’s  _ perfect _ .”

After that, Lup opened a dark purple pyjama set covered in flames from Barry, and the two of them were almost asked to leave the room for the sake of Angus’ young, innocent eyes, before Merle opened a pair of cactus patterned pyjama pants from Magnus.

And then it was Kravitz’s turn.

“Please, please, open it, I’m literally begging you,” Taako said, leaning into Kravitz’s shoulder.

“Alright, if you insist,” Kravitz said, leaning over and placing a quick kiss to Taako’s brow.

The sweater was made of soft, black and red wool, chunky knit and warm, and perfectly matched the red and black plaid pants Taako had also gotten him.

“So?” the elf asked. “What d’you think?”

“I think it’s  _ amazing _ ,” Kravitz muttered, pulling Taako into a tight hug.

He took a moment to bask in the warmth of Taako’s embrace, of his smile, of the joy that seemed the permeate the air.

**

They all changed into their pyjamas and met back in the living room.

“What now?” Kravitz asked.

“Now?” Taako repeated. “Now we have a date with fantasy-Bruce Willis and fantasy-Alan Rickman.”

Apparently,  _ Fantasy Die Hard _ was a Candlenights classic.

**

That night, they lay tangled together under the sheet of Magnus’ front guest bedroom bed, Taako’s head tucked underneath Kravitz’s chin, Kravitz’s arms wrapped around Taako’s chest.

The air was still and quiet and cold, and the moonlight poured in through the window, making everything appear silver and soft, and Kravitz…

Kravitz was  _ at peace _ .

“Did you have a good Candlenights?” Taako whispered, his voice muffled against Kravitz’s collar.

“I did.”

Taako hummed and snuggled impossibly closer. “Good,” he murmured. “I did, too. I really, really did.”

Kravitz kissed his cheek and held him close as they both drifted off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> comments are the best candlenights gifts ;)
> 
> come yell about wizards with me on tumblr @allonsy-gabriel


End file.
